


The accident

by Fantasticoncer



Series: Hands and paws [2]
Category: Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats - T. S. Eliot
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Car Accidents, Coma, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Family Drama, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Married Couple, Munkustrap & Rum Tum Tugger are Siblings, Out of Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:14:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24592858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fantasticoncer/pseuds/Fantasticoncer
Summary: Tugger gets hurt in a car accident and is in a coma. His family fears for his life. Will he ever wake up?
Relationships: Demeter & Rum Tum Tugger (Cats), Demeter/Munkustrap (Cats), Grizabella & Rum Tum Tugger, Jemima & Victoria (Cats), Mr. Mistoffelees & Victoria (Cats), Mr. Mistoffelees/Rum Tum Tugger (Cats), Munkustrap & Rum Tum Tugger, Old Deuteronomy/Grizabella, Rum Tum Tugger & Victoria (Cats)
Series: Hands and paws [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1778965
Comments: 6
Kudos: 39





	The accident

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.

Ten-year old Victoria jumped out of her cousin's bed. Jemima's bed was big enough for the two to share. Her actions woke her cousin up and Jemima happily followed her cousin. The day before had been her fathers' anniversary and they had wanted to have an evening to themselves. She had been happy to stay at her uncle Munkus and aunt Demeter, but she was ready to go home.

She had no doubt that her fathers were already downstairs waiting for her as she and Jemima quickly ran down the stairs. She had been living with them for several years now and couldn't be happier. Her dad and papa were always there to help, love and support her. Her papa always called her his "little kitten," never failing to make her smile whenever he called her that. She was happy that it was Sunday, so they could tell her everything about last night and they could spend the entire day together

Rounding the corner, Victoria's smile fell slightly when she only saw the tense faces of her aunt and uncle, Demeter looking to be holding back tears. "Uncle Munkus? What's wrong?" The girl asked, Jemima grabbing her hand as they both realised something was wrong. Munkustrap took a deep breath and held out his arms to his daughter and niece.

They quickly sat down in-between him and Demeter. "Victoria, something bad happened." Munkus began, unsure how to tell the young girl the bad news. "What happened?" Victoria whimpered, starting to feel scared. Munkus and Demeter shared a look. "Tori, your fathers went out to celebrate their anniversary. They were on their way home when a car suddenly sped down the street." He started, struggling to say the next part 

"Misto is okay, but Tugger.... he got hurt badly and he's in a coma." He finally said and both girls gasped, tears filling their eyes. "But he'll be okay, right?" Victoria begged, looking between her aunt and uncle desperately. Demeter gave her niece a very tiny smile and stroked her cheek. "Your papa is very strong and stubborn. He'll be okay." She said, even if just to comfort the upset girl, before taking her and her daughter's hands and taking them upstairs to dress. Munkus watched them go, before quickly wiping a stubborn tear away. 

After a quick breakfast, they drove to the hospital. After getting the right room number, they hurried to said room as fast as they could. Misto, Grizabella and Old Deuteronomy were already there, keeping vigil. Misto looked up at hearing the door open and quickly stood to catch his running daughter. "It's okay, sweetheart. He's gonna be okay." He whispered at hearing her soft sobs, kneeling on the floor to hug her properly.

Tugger's parents stood up and left with Munkus, Demeter and Jemima to give them some privacy. After calming down and pulling back from her dad's embrace, Victoria walked to the side of her papa's bed. His right arm was in a sling and he had several scratches on his face. Looking her dad over, she was relieved to see that he was alright, save from a bandage around his hand.

Looking back at her papa, she carefully grabbed his free hand and squeezed softly. "He's so still." She whispered with tears in her eyes. Her papa was always moving and in motion, so much so that it sometimes annoyed her dad. To see him lying so still and unmoving, apart from the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, frightened her like nothing ever had. Misto bit his tears back at hearing this. "Yes, he is, but he's just in a very deep sleep. He'll wake up when he's healed." He said as he put an arm around her

He wasn't sure if he was saying it to reassure his daughter or himself. She silently nodded and leaned against him as they watched the unconscious man. After several minutes, there was a careful knock on the door and Munkustrap poked his head in. "The police are here." He said softly and Misto nodded, before looking down at his daughter.

"Stay here, alright?" He asked and she nodded, before he walked out, Demeter, Grizabella and Jemima walking in to make sure Victoria wasn't alone. Demeter took her brother-in-law's place and wrapped an arm around her niece. Jemima slowly walked towards the other side of the bed and peered at her uncle. Her parents had told her that she had to be careful around him as he was very hurt

She had taken those words to heart as she carefully shook her uncle's arm. "Uncle Tugs. Wake up, please. Uncle Misto and Tori need you" She whispered, but the man didn't give any reaction that he had heard her. She looked up at her grandmother and Grizabella smiled at her. "He'll wake up when he feels like it. You know how your uncle is." She said and Jemima smiled at that. "Uncle Misto always calls him "a terrible bore."" She answered and both Demeter and Grizabella laughed at this, before silence fell.

Outside the room, the atmosphere was a lot more grim as the police had been able to find out the identity of the driver: one James Moriarty, a well-known accomplice of Macavity. As soon as he had left, Munkus punched the wall with the side of his wrist and both Old Deuteronomy and Misto sank down on a chair as the truth of the situation hit them. 

"He's behind this. He knew what yesterday was for Tugger and I. The driver was aiming for me, but Tugger pushed me out of the way just in time. It was my idea to go out for dinner last night. It's my fault he got hurt." Misto whispered and his father-in-law wrapped an arm around him. "We all know that's not true." Munkus said sternly, kneeling in front of his brother-in-law.

"You couldn't possibly have known that this would happen. It was your wedding anniversary. You are allowed to celebrate it. It's all _his_ fault that Tugger got hurt and no one else's, understood?" He continued and Misto gave him a shaky nod. Munkus smiled at him, before patting him on the shoulder and standing back up. Misto took a deep breath and stood up as well, walking back into the room and sitting back down on his chair, Victoria quickly climbing onto his lap like she was still the small five-year old she once was. 

For the entire day, the two of them stayed beside Tugger's bed, the others switching every few hours as there was only a maximum of four people allowed in the room. Victoria told her unconscious father all about what she had done the previous day and about the drawing she had made for him and Misto. As soon as she was done, her excited smile fell a bit.

She was spending the day with her fathers, but not in the way she expected or wanted. At the end of the day, Munkus and Demeter offered to take Victoria home with them as they knew that Misto wanted to stay with Tugger. He agreed, Victoria absolutely didn't. She didn't want to leave, scared that her papa would be gone when she came back

Her dad kneeled in front of her. "Tori, listen to me. I will stay here the entire time. If anything happens, I will call your aunt and uncle. They will wake you up, I promise." He whispered, before pulling her into a hug. Victoria clutched onto him with all her strength, before pulling back and walking towards the bed. "Goodnight, papa. Wake up soon." She whispered, gently kissing the man's cheek. Turning around, she hugged her other father, before grabbing her aunt's hands and walking out with her after looking back one last time. 

That night, she could hardly sleep. Even after Jemima had fallen asleep, she stayed awake, clutching the plush cat Tugger had given her when she came to live with him and her dad. Mungojerrie usually gave her a lot of comfort, but even he couldn't help her now. She finally managed to fall asleep and dreamed about her father being awake and well.

The next day, there still wasn't any change and under loud protest, Victoria went to school. Luckily, her uncle had already called ahead, so her teachers knew to leave her alone today. As soon as school was out, both girls raced to Demeter waiting for them and she took Victoria back to the hospital. There, she waited all afternoon with her father and grandmother, doing her homework on her chair. 

At the end of the day, Tugger was still unconscious and Victoria had to watch silently as her father just became sadder and sadder with every slow-moving hour that passed. After the sun had set, Munkus came in and forced his brother-in-law to take Victoria and go home for the night, Grizabella staying with her son this night. Misto was about to protest, when Victoria walked over to him and grabbed his hand. Looking down at her, he sighed and finally agreed, Munkus taking them both home 

Finally home after two days, Victoria could still feel the difference without her papa being there, playing with her or annoying her dad. Misto quickly sent her to bed, but she was once again unable to sleep. Hearing her father go to bed, she climbed out of her own. Clutching Mungojerrie to the chest, she walked out of her room and into her parents room. "Daddy?" She asked softly and the light was turned on. "What is it, Tori?" Misto asked.

"I can't sleep. I'm scared." Victoria said and he opened his arms towards her. "Come here." He whispered and she climbed into the bed next to him. "I know how you feel, sweetheart. I couldn't sleep last night either. I was alert for every change." He admitted as he held his daughter and turned the light back off. Victoria snuggled closer to him, one hand clutching his shirt and the other holding onto Mungojerrie. "Will papa wake up?" Victoria asked quietly and he sighed.

"I don't know. I'm a magician, not a doctor. However, we need to believe that he will wake up. Your papa is the most stubborn individual that I know. He will keep fighting to come back to us." He said and Victoria was quiet for a while. "Daddy, could you tell the story of how you and papa met?" She asked and he smiled. "Of course." He whispered, before starting to talk. While he was talking, he heard his daughter's breathing even out as she fell asleep. He smiled at her. "I guess I'm the terrible bore." He muttered before closing his eyes and falling asleep.

The next few days were all just repeats of the previous ones and hope started to dwindle for the family. The only good thing was that Tugger was moved to a different room which allowed for more people to stay with him. After school on Friday, Victoria carefully sat on the edge of her father's bed. It was just her, her dad and her grandparents today as both Demeter and Munkus had things to do.

Her grandparents were in the cafeteria to get something to eat and Misto stood up. "I'm going to the toilet. Don't go anywhere." He said and she immediately nodded, before he left. Looking back down at her other father's face, she carefully brushed his hair out of his face, tears in her eyes. "Please wake up, papa. We miss you. We love you. We need you." She said

"Daddy is an utter and complete mess without you. Home's just not home without you being there. Wake up, papa. Please. I really miss you." She whispered softly as she looked at the comatose man, before carefully lying down with her head on his shoulder and starting to cry. After a few minutes, she felt someone wrap their arm around her, their thumb slowly stroking her back. "Please don't cry, my little kitten." A voice, hoarse from disuse, whispered softly and she looked up to see tired blue eyes looking back at her.

Tugger had absolutely no idea what had happened. One moment, he had pushed Misto out of the way of a car, the next he felt like he was floating and heard his daughter begging him to wake up. He'd rather be damned than let his daughter down, so he had fought hard to open his eyes. He had fought even harder when he heard her crying. He had finally managed to lift his extremely heavy eyelids and had looked down at his crying daughter.

With more effort, he managed to lift his arm and wrap it around her. "Papa." Victoria breathed, a smile slowly growing on her face, before she hugged him as tightly as she dared. Tugger rested his head on hers and closed his eyes, trying to regain his energy. He realised he had been unconscious, but he didn't know for how long. "Where's your dad?" He rasped, his voice hurting his throat. "Toilet." Victoria answered, just as the door opened. 

Misto didn't realise something was different at first, having met his parents-in-law in the hallway and having talked to his husband's doctor outside the room.It wasn't until he heard Grizabella gasp loudly that he looked at the bed. He saw Victoria's happy face, the arm wrapped around her and his husband's open eyes looking at him tiredly. "Tugger." He whispered softly, a hand coming up to cover his mouth as his father-in-law called the doctor. Dr. Patridge quickly examined Tugger after gently asking Victoria to get off the bed.

He was fine and now that he was awake, his recovery would speed up.As soon as he was gone, Victoria climbed on the bed again, Tugger immediately wrapping his arm around her. Misto caressed his husband's face. "You scared the living daylights out of us, you terrible bore." He said with a watery chuckle. "I'm sorry, gorgeous. I'll try not to do it again, but I make no promises." Tugger answered with a weak smile.

Misto chuckled, before kissing his husband.Breaking apart, he nuzzled the other man's face. Munkus always used to joke that they looked like a couple of cats like that, but they never minded. Victoria just smiled at them, not even thinking to complain about it. "How did you wake up?" Grizabella asked in a soft tone as she stood on Victoria's side of the bed, her hand resting on his free arm. 

"I don't know. It was like I was floating in a mist, but I heard you talking. I fought to get out of it, but I couldn't. It wasn't until I heard Tori begging me to wake up that I fought harder than before and managed to wake up." He said, smiling down at his daughter.Everyone smiled at her, before Misto noticed his husband's drooping eyelids. "Go to sleep, love. We will still be here when you wake up." He said. Tugger gave him a smile, before falling asleep. A few hours later, Munkus and Demeter walked in with Jemima, having heard that Tugger had woken up. 

The man in question was awake again and smiled at his brother, sister-in-law and niece. Jemima jumped up-and-down in happiness."Uncle Tugs! You're awake!" She squealed and he smiled at her. "I sure am, little one." He said. Demeter kissed his cheek and Munkus squeezed his shoulder in happiness at seeing him awake. "Good! Uncle Misto was going crazy without you." The girl replied .

Tugger smiled at that and at his husband's face. Victoria smiled from her place still lying next to her father, his arm holding her like he never wanted to let her go.With Tugger awake, time seemed to go by much faster than before. Several weeks after waking up, he was allowed to go home. Munkus, Demeter and the girls had decorated the house. The smile on Tugger's face as he saw them was perfect. 

When Munkus, Demeter, Jemima, Grizabella and Old Deuteronomy had finally left to go to their own homes, the small family cuddled on the couch. "I'm really glad you're back papa." Victoria said as she happily snuggled into her father's chest and he immediately smiled down at her.He gently stroked her hair and kissed the top of her head. "Me too, my little kitten." He said, quickly pulling her and his husband closer to him and closing his eyes as he fully relaxed. They were all safe and sound. 

Macavity had completely failed in his mission and they would really watch out for him from now on. He would never get close to his family ever again as long as he still drew breath. He would always protect his husband and daughter. He took a deep breath and pulled the two even closer to him After several weeks, he was finally back home where he belonged and he was never leaving his family again

**Author's Note:**

> I know I said "Welcome to the family" would be my only "Cats" fanfiction, but I was inspired, so here you go. 
> 
> I couldn't help but use the Moriarty reference :). As well as the name of Tugger's doctor
> 
> Read and review. See you next time.


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